


Psychology Lessons

by Absolutefandomtrash



Series: My Hattercrow Trash Brain Came Up With These [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Dr. Crane is kind of a mix between Nolan and Gotham, Fear gas, Jervis is a mix between the comics and Gotham, M/M, TW: Abusive Relationship, some hypnosis, two idiots in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 23:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15254073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Absolutefandomtrash/pseuds/Absolutefandomtrash
Summary: Jonathan Crane takes breaks from his colleagues sometimes. The only company he allows is Harley, since their need for a break is of the same origin. Everything goes great until one day Jervis decides to barge in and demand a lesson in the psychology of hypnosis.





	Psychology Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't watched Gotham or the Nolan movies. Haven't read the comics. This is an indication of how much I care about any OOC moments.
> 
> Also my girl Harley is dating Ivy. In case anyone freaks out at seeing Joker in the tags.

It's not that Scarecrow hates his fellow villains; it's that most of them went completely off the handle when they became villains, which takes more energy than desired to work with them. Dr. Crane was an introvert, a bookish man, soft-spoken, and someone that just generally gave those who interacted with him the feeling that he was composed but not closed off. And he saw no reason to abandon that when his love of psychology took a darker route, namely his fear toxin. His peers never understood how he was one of the rare villains that the public didn't portray as a gross charicature of a raving lunatic (him and Penguin did like to rub it in occasionally), and they pestered him incessantly about it in addition to their normal hyperactivity. 

So forgive him if he needes to take an occasional break. Locked in a small room with a desk, thick books, and a cup of coffee for a few hours serve him well enough to refresh the natural exhaustion introverts experience whenever long social encounters finished. He basically took his old position as a teacher and occasional psychologist and made it less...social. No one else is allowed to be with him when he's taking a break.

Except for one.

Harley Quinn, formerly Dr. Harleen Quinzel, is the one one whose company doesn't drain him- when they're alone, of course. She sympathizes with his frustration with the other villains, and he appreciates the intellectual conversation provided by the other former psychologist. She isn't a frequent guest, but when she is she mostly takes one of his books and reads silently in a different corner of the room. Sometimes they talk. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes they throw vocabulary back and forth to see who has the most definitions memorized in the different fields of their subject (she knows more about Freud than the man probably did).

He also became very adept at first-aid. She would describe each encounter and give details about where and how she was hurt so he couldn't mess her up more than she already was. They were around the same age, younger than almost everyone else but older than even Batman, which was a very shocking revelation. He talked at her and used his knowledge to let her know when she was gaslighted, what parts stemmed from which mental illness, and gave advice on the ways to leave that probably would result in the least bloodshed. She never listened to the last part. When she came to him with bloody knuckles and a sprained wrist and her head held high he wrapped her up and told her about how she could adjust to no longer thinking about just surviving the abuse. He had his own experiences with power imbalances, and the primitive fear toxin running through his veins shows that experience. When she walked in with a green film on her lips and pollen in her hair and immunity to Ivy's natural toxic body he only asked her to not go back to her previous behavior in a relationship. His father saw too many fail because of humans' natural tendency to repeat behaviors because it's familiar, and he doesn't want to know what that looks like.

Harley is the only one he shares his quiet with, but people who have no care for others' autonomy rarely ask about sharing. Such is the case of Jervis Tetch when he picks the lock, bursts in dramatically, and flings himself across from Jonathan as if he was an Oscar Wilde character.

"Dr. Crane, I must ask a favor. One whose benefits I will forever savor." Jonathan rolls his eyes and doesn't take them off his book.

"And what would that be? It better be a large one if you're hoping to not face the consequences of interrupting me."

"Well yes, because I do have sense not to invoke any consequence, but if you could tell some the causes and process of my spell?" The question takes a few moments to process before Jonathan gets a vague idea of what the Alice-obsessed man wants. He looks up.

"You want me to psychoanalyze hypnosis?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

"...How long do you have? This will take a while."

Two hours later and Jervis has filled an entire pocket notebook and is halfway through the second when Harley walks in the room. She raises an eyebrow at Jonathan, who shrugs. Sighing, she sits in a chair and waits for Jervis to look up so he can see her judgmental eyebrow raise. That takes about thirty seconds, and he immediately deflates under the gaze. However, instead of yelling at him for interrupting Jonathan's break, she asks Jonathan, "Have you explained Freud and the subconscious?"

"And risk you killing me for poorly explaining things? Absolutely not."

"Good. Are you at a stopping point?"

"Yes."

"Jervis, you're gonna need another notebook."

 

The process of explaining how hypnosis works and can affect people psychologically takes far too long for Jonathan, but somehow Jervis alone wasn't as bad as Jervis with others. Maybe it's a social tendency. Lord knows he's different when he's around people. Jervis pays attention and asks questions and makes sure he understands everything, but he isn't annoying about it. He shuts up when things are being explained and doesn't bounce around muttering nonsense. The only time before now that Jonathan's seen him like this is when he was around or talking about his sister. Every psychoanalyst fiber of his body screams to dissect, to pry, to ask everything, to tell him exactly what's wrong about him; he doesn't, though. For one thing, that would most likely result in a mental breakdown at best and a horde of fellow crazies begging to be psychoanalyzed on top of a mental breakdown at worst. For another thing, Jervis... Jervis became something more than tolerable. He became enjoyable company, in a way. Honestly, interpersonal relationships were never Jonathan's forte; he spent too much time focusing on people's brains.

Eventually the psychology lessons finish and Jonathan has to go back to his solitary breaks, with occasional company from Harley. Somehow the once-restful empty room has transformed into an oppressive loneliness that even Harley's comforting presence can't fix. So he starts to find Jervis and have separate conversations. That's something that helps the silence, and Jervis needs the company. Everyone else just thinks Jonathan has become more social and makes snarky remarks on how he's finally started to leave his hermit cave. There's always a snarky comment that sometimes is more Jonathan-based or Scarecrow-based depending on his mood; sometimes fear gas aids in sarcasm, for some odd reason. Jervis never replies unless in some delusional rhyme, but there's always an innuendo or heartfelt statement if one actually thinks about it. Which the over thinker who calls himself Dr. Jonathan Crane does. Anyone who spends more than five un-hypnotized minutes with the Mad Hatter knows what "Thank you," "I appreciate your help," and "I enjoy your company," sound like. And it appears very, very often in the comments directed towards him. Well, at least he's appreciated somewhere, right?

 

"Jonathan."

"Yes?"

"Guess how I cast my spell?" Jonathan looks up at the currently passed-out victim of Jervis' endeavors to manipulate everyone. He sighs. 

"You gave them something that said 'drink me?'"

"Even better," Jervis chuckles. He takes a few steps closer to Jonathan. "I used the information you provided. He thought that I was rambling on and on about scientific nonsense until I told him what happened."

"You... used psychology... to hypnotize someone?"

"Yes! Isn't this exciting?" Jervis all but squeals, unaware of his acquaintance's shock. "And the different methods you suggested proved to be worthwhile; it took much less time to have him in this state than usual. Th-mrphm!"

There's always been a moment in every person's life where they think, 'Screw it. I'm going to do the stupid thing.' Sometimes it's a dangerous stunt with friends. Sometimes it's a trip across the world. Sometimes it's pursuing a long-lost love. Sometimes it's making out with another crazed Gothamite that's become the source of a strange sort of affection. This is one of those such moments, and one of those such scenarios. Now there is context for Jonathan to understand why kissing sometimes brings the description of 'time slowing down,' since it does indeed feel that way. He can feel the seconds moving like minutes while he and Jervis stay the same. The kiss is reciprocated, and they both grip each other tentatively at first, then with more confidence.

They break apart long after the need for air first made itself known and stare at each other for a few seconds. Jonathan smiles apologetically and puts his hands down.

"Sorry. I decided to go with my gut and...learn something new about another person."

"Why do you think I approached you?" Jervis replies before kissing him again.


End file.
